Opinions on Oreck XL's

[vacman117]

The 2200 in the previous picture has been the entry model for the past few years now. Big Lots had them for around $100 about four years ago.

I believe you can still get them on Amazon for around $199..

Chase

 

[daknx1994]

Vac-o-matic is right, it was made the 52nd day of 2012. The C designates it was series C or the third series of that paticular 2200. These were in Biglots for a while but on the box they said remanufactured I remember because I ended up buying one from Biglots. I sold it on to a family member in need of a decent plain Jane vacuum.

 

[kirbyvertibles]

Oreck seem to be like Kirby meaning collectors either love it or hate it. Personally I love both. Some Orecks are great some not so much. I have some authentic vintage DEEEEEP shag carpet and my orecks look at it and say "um no" but I love them for shorter carpet and even though I hate an upright on tile floor I will say the Oreck isn't bad on the bare floor.

 

[durango159]

I have used about 15 different Oreck upright units of various models: Commercial XL, 2 XL-21 series, pivoting head model, Dual Stack Commercial, several XL Ultras. Every single one that I have used has given me an allergic spasm within just a few minutes of use!!! Many of the units had just returned home from their included service annual checkups from Oreck or were refurbished by collectors or new!!

Additionally, these units weigh 8-9 pounds, I think the Dual Stack Commercial unit may have weighed around 15 pounds. All of them feel like pushing bricks across the carpet. The brush roll does nothing to propel them at all on any of the models that I've tried.

I have found cleaning mediocre. The XL-21 does a better job but still not great. Noise is loud on most of the models I have found.

The filtration issue I think comes from poor sealing around the bag and not being powerful I think the brush roll kicks a lot of dirt up into the air and the airflow isn't powerful enough to catch it all. In comparison I have Hoover Celebrity canisters, Eureka B bag canisters, Hoover A bag convertible with vinyl bag, and have used TONS of vacuums over the years none of those Hoovers or Eurekas would be rated very well for filtration but I have never experienced any sort of allergic attack to them during use!! The Oreck and also the Garry Vac give me the same allergic reaction!!!

I have tried the Riccar SupraLite and although a little loud, it glided itself across the floor with ease, the floor looked very clean, construction seemed significantly better than Oreck and I had no issues whatsoever with filtration and being able to actually use the vacuum!!!

Oreck had a power nozzle canister years ago known as the DutchTech series. There was a green unit and a white TOL unit. The second generation of these canisters came equipped with a Wessel Werk EBK 340 power head. Very nice, powerful cleaning canister vacuum cleaners!! If you ever see one of these, I highly recommend it. They are very powerful and quiet with great filtration. But their uprights I can not recommend at all!!!

 

[durango159]

Also I agree with DysonMan1

Bissells may not be the best cleaners either but for $42 I believe is the going price for the bagged Bissell PowerForce vacuum at Walmart, it will clean circles around any of the Orecks I have used over the years!!! The Bissell is also lighterweight, more pleasant sounding, better filtration-- I feel. The Bissell is significantly easier to manuever and push around the room but you can also feel its power on the carpet! Orecks are just stiff overall to push whether on or off!

Unlike an Oreck that has to be carried around the house due to its wheel design, the Bissell has great wheels to tip the vacuum bag and pleasantly roll around the house from room to room!

I heavily recommend the Bissell bagged PowerForce upright over an Oreck!!! A few years ago there was a royal blue colored Bissell Powerforce-- really stunning color that machine was!!

 

[stormcrash]

Having grown up with them I'm a fan of Oreck vacuums. My current vacuum is an Oreck Graphite model and my parents have an XL2 that's over 10 years old and still runs like a champ. They've always cleaned our medium height carpet well and the bushy bristles on the brush roll groom the carpet really nicely. I've never had a problem with them clogging and while they are loud I find them less annoying than vacuums with a shrill high pitch motor like a shark I used for a year.

In terms of the TTI buyout most of the models are still made in the USA including the whole new elevate line. The Magnesium series is made in china but the classic and commercial uprights are still made in TN. I do think TTI needs to up their game on advertising for the brand and get it back out there more.

I do wish that they would add a headlight to the XL Classic, but I think the new elevate models look quite nice

 

[rvarley]

To original poster - If you've never tried an Oreck, I suggest you try one and form your own opinion. Not having ever used one, I can't comment on the machine, but for my own use cases, a light weight, smaller machine is best. And I do like simple uprights that are plain vacuums without all the silly attachments. My personal fav is the lightweight Riccar or Simplicity. Although loud, they are easy to push, maneuverable and powerful. Mine is top of the line, so it has the low speed switch for hard surfaces and it does great on them. And the cord is the longest I've ever seen on a vacuum. I think Tacony also makes a version which is battery powered which would be interesting to try. Getting rid of the cord makes the task that much easier. Big, heavy, clumsy uprights with a ton of attachments - no thanks.

 

[tolivac]

the battery powered Simplicity Freedom works really well-love using it a the vac shop-soon I will be getting one-a great partner to my Volt powernozzle.Same vacuum but configured to be a powernozzle to be used with any canister or central vacuum-the Volt really works-Love mine!

 

[blackheart]

Oreck

The 4090 i ordered from Ebay arrived yesterday. I started it up right after assembly to clean my rug....then realized it had a broken belt It actually did pick up some surface litter despite that. It's no powerhouse...but it does a respectable job and grooms very well.

 

[wyaple]

I'll definitely pick one up the next time

I see one at the thrift stores. Now since I know how to read the year from the serial number, that'll help me decide if it's worth whatever they might be asking.

Bill

 

[blackheart]

A week's worth of dirt

In order to find out if they are really effective or not I ran the Oreck 4090, pictured above 6/7 days in a week (I skipped Sunday due to feeling ill, and having to work)
I live in a 1 bedroom apt, it's just my cat and I, only my living room and bedroom have carpeting, there's also a rug by the door.

In my opinion it did rather well, and i'd feel comfortable using an oreck (older or newer) as a sole vacuum (along with a companion canister). Sure it's not a tandem air, kirby, or sanitaire but i do feel it does a respectable job.

Here's some shots of the debris it gathered in it's week long run, some of the grittier particles were still caught in the folds, especially the bottom.

 

[vac-o-matic]

Devin, that amount in the bag after a week shows that Orecks are viable cleaners. There are so many haters out there that bash the brand. When I worked at the Oreck store, people would bring them in and they weighed 15lbs. instead of 8, they'd set it up on the platform, and say "it's not pickin' up"! That's because they filled the bag to the max, and it was like a brick! Oh well, hard to help stupid. Where did they think the dirt went? If you keep a good brushroll/belt on them, they work well. As for people complaining about them leaking dust around the tubes, tighten the collars around each end of the tube, and make sure there's a rubber ring inside the collar! I use my Orecks frequently and never have that problem.

 

[wyaple]

I'm Always Amazed When People Have Such

Varying opinions and experiences with nearly the same machine. For this simple XL model, it's "supposed" to have high airflow and at least medium water lift, so I get confused when one group can't seem to get these to work well and another group has great results for over 10 years.

I never use a vac to pick up debris, only dust and dirt that humans normally can't pickup by hand. And all my machines are kept squeaky clean, brush rolls included. If your cleaner is clogged, brush roll has enough hair to cover someone's head and bag is jam-packed, you're not getting the best cleaning experience possible.

Bill

 

[kloveland]

I personally like them. The tall handle is great for taller people. And they groom carpet nicely. I currently have two of the older style Oreck uprights. They are also very easy to service!

 

[daknx1994]

I personally like them. People complain about the noise level but have you used a Tacony lightweight? Those are not by any means any quieter. Are they over priced? Somewhat even when compared to Tacony models. They sell well and most consumers seem to love them. I have two classic type models as well as a platinum model. I have fifteen year old carpet and the Oreck's are one of the only machines that makes the carpet stand up and look refreshed. I hear many people complain that they are not real durable. I would have people bring them into work and most of the time the fans were jammed due to a coin or Bobby pin being picked up. The worst I have seen is on the xl21 models, the early ones having fan housings split apart. Other than that I have never seen major problems out of these units.

 

[tolivac]

Maybe like Simplicity--Oreck should try to come out with a cordless Oreck.The dealer I frequent carries both Oreck and Simplicity-the Simplicitys outsell the Orecks.Customers really like the cordless Simplicity.I am getting one in the near future.

 

[vacerator]

But TTI

already has a cordless Dirt Devil.

 

[durango159]

A Simplicity Supralite will zoom itself across a room if in upright handle and turned on!! They will run away from you quick if switch is on when the unit is plugged in. An oreck doesn't have that power.

Orecks are lightweight to carry but hard to push I've noticed. The Simplicity's maneuver easy and clean fantastic.

 

[stormcrash]

I've never found Oreck vacuums hard to push, I actually sometimes find myself vacuuming too quickly especially towards the end. And while not fast, growing up if our Oreck was on and in the upright locked position it would start to slowly crawl forward under its own power.

One other thing I will say is that I think Oreck nailed it with the Helping Hand handle design in terms of ergonomics. I still see so many vacuums with the traditional slight bend stick handle (maybe with a guard) that are terrible for wrist position. After looking up info on ergonomics last year when my bad computer posture at work started bothering my mouse hand I've realized that the Oreck handle design really does keep your wrist in perfect alignment when in the vacuuming position

 

[kirbyloverdan]

The XL 21

Through the pilots to the newest Oreck the Elevate
Conquer all do that with handle in upright position .


Dan